# Why does Google think I'm British?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 5, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602 "2007-03-05T00:20:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/1 "2007-03-05T00:20:40Z")
Here I am, surfing from Austin TX USA, and I noticed that Google and Yahoo both are under the impression that I’d rather see links to \*.co.uk sites and ads for online stores and products for the other side of the Atlantic than for something more local. I checked my setting on my accounts at both sites, and confirmed that I’ve told them I’m a Merkin, not a Limey, but the problem persists. It’s particularly annoying when I try to get a map. Any ideas as to what’s going on?
Oh, I’m running Firefox 2.0.0.2 on Ubuntu 6.10, it that makes a difference.
---
### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/2 "2007-03-05T00:30:15Z")
Maybe Ya and Goo both buy into the “anti-Clovis-first” theories. Then, going from your username, they assumed your bloodlines lead across the pond. 😉
No, I have no idea. I still think Heueristic searching has to do with expensive watches. Hey, at least I didn’t go for the insurance reference.
---
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/3 "2007-03-05T00:36:52Z")
I get Yahoo! ads for all kinds of British stuff with my listserv messages from the Old Dance Band Music group. The membership is largely .uk (they’ve always been somewhat keen on 1920s & 30s bands over there), so the assumption is that _all_ members are .uk.
You too may have interests or searches which might suggest you are British to a casual observer.
---
### Author:  [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/4 "2007-03-05T01:12:28Z")
Back in the days when I used Yahoo, it ALWAYS assumed I was a Brit. I’ve still got a .co.uk email address. Not only that, but I COULDN’T tell them otherwise. There was no way for me to get a .com.au address (which they have).
---
### Author:  [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/5 "2007-03-05T01:23:34Z")
It must be your accent.
---
### Author:  [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/6 "2007-03-05T03:23:05Z")
Is it possible that you have your locale set to the UK? Although I would have assumed that they’d be doing geographical IP address lookup, it’s possible that they’re basing it on what your agent settings are telling them. Also, of course, it’s possible that your ISP has some funky routing that’s confusing their location-based algorithms in the same way.
---
### Author:  [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/7 "2007-03-05T09:17:37Z")
[QUOTE=caveman]
Oh, I’m running Firefox 2.0.0.2 on Ubuntu 6.10, it that makes a difference.
[/QUOTE]
Are you using the little search box in the top right of the Firefox window? The versions I have at work and on my laptop are subtly different, my laptop seems to have .com sites and work .co.uk sites in use for searches.
---
### Author:  [@Thirty-Nine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirty-Nine)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/8 "2007-03-05T09:21:16Z")
This is usually tied to your regional settings in Windows.
Not sure why they’d be British, becase they’re American by default.
---
### Author:  [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/9 "2007-03-05T09:32:11Z")
If you discover why they think you are British can you let me know because I want to fool them into believing me I’m not in NZ. It irritates me no end, when I type [google.com](http://google.com) and they change it to google.co.nz.
I don’t know why it bothers me but it does.
---
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/10 "2007-03-05T10:39:04Z")
I noticed that the two Americans who are being mistaken for Brits have the words crown and palace in their locations.
---
### Author:  [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/11 "2007-03-05T11:03:58Z")
It’s good old American’s Capaitalism!
They’re simply offering you the best quality services available from the most successful companies. So of course it’s gonna throw up British ones.
---
### Author:  [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/12 "2007-03-05T14:32:46Z")
I have a similar problem. Google.ca is my homepage. However, several times a day, when I click to return to my homepage, it goes French.
If anybody has a cure for this, please share.
---
### Author:  [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/13 "2007-03-05T15:10:25Z")
[QUOTE=Spezza]
I have a similar problem. Google.ca is my homepage. However, several times a day, when I click to return to my homepage, it goes French.
If anybody has a cure for this, please share.
[/QUOTE]
Leave Quebec? 😕
---
### Author:  [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/14 "2007-03-05T16:30:32Z")
I’ve noticed Google’s geolocation algorithm seems to have a bit of trouble. When my in-laws in Dallas switched from Comcast to Time Warner, the new IP address they got caused them to be switched from [www.google.com](http://www.google.com) to [www.google.co.uk](http://www.google.co.uk).
There used to be a site on google to report these kinds of problems but I’m having trouble finding it. In the meantime, go to [Google](http://www.google.com/ncr) and it should set a cookie to stop the redirection.
---
### Author:  [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/15 "2007-03-05T16:32:48Z")
This is the page I was looking for:
> **[See results for a different country - Android - Google Search Help](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/873?visit_id=638351418822390253-2546673478&rd=1)**
>
> When you search on Google, your results are customized to your current region. You can choose to see results for other countries from your computer and the Google app for Android. On your Android
---
### Author:  [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/16 "2007-03-05T17:10:39Z")
[QUOTE=Thirty-Nine]
This is usually tied to your regional settings in Windows.
[/QUOTE]
The OP is running Ubuntu, not Windows.
---
### Author:  [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/17 "2007-03-05T22:26:50Z")
Try going to [http://www.ipaddresslocation.org/](http://www.ipaddresslocation.org/) and seeing if that site correctly guesses your location. If that one gets it wrong too, there’s probably some weirdness with your ISP.
---
### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-google-think-im-british/394602/18 "2007-03-05T22:34:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mbossa]
Try going to [http://www.ipaddresslocation.org/](http://www.ipaddresslocation.org/) and seeing if that site correctly guesses your location. If that one gets it wrong too, there’s probably some weirdness with your ISP.
[/QUOTE]
Hah. It guessed my ‘city’ as Brighton. And pinned the map somewhere around Cumbria. Wrong not once, but twice 😃